| Cold hardiness. Temperatures given here pertain to brief cold spells of a few hours or less, which is typical for freezes in many areas of the Southeast. They provide a general idea of what you might expect during normal freeze events. In the past, we have occasionally experienced freezes much colder, and/or that last much longer than normal, though recently the trend locally has been towards warmer winters. It should also be noted that, prolonged cold, even when the temperature does not reached the "hardy to" level, can still injure or kill a tree. Also, under certain conditions, the actual temperature of the plant may be considerable colder than the air just a few feet above the leaves. Likewise, sudden freezes, when a tree has not been exposed to the conditions required to cause it to become fully dormant, can cause severe damage. So you can see that even though the "hardy to" temperature is never reached your plant can experience cold damage. Many other factors play a part in a tree's ability to withstand freezing temperatures, factors such as age of the tree, variety, health of the tree, location, etc.. In other words, "hardy to" temperatures are only estimates, and depend on many variables, some of which are not fully understood. Conversely, gradually cooling temperatures can cause a tree to develop more cold resistance than one might normally expect. For example, a given tree in Charleston, SC, would, generally speaking, be better able to withstand a dip to 20º than one in Orlando, Florida, where it is not likely to have been exposed to the same gradually cooling temperatures prior to the freeze. Of course, you would be more likely to see such a dip, and lower, in Charleston! A number of individual citrus trees have been found, outside of traditional citrus growing region, that seem to defy conventional wisdom concerning cold hardiness. The gradual drop in temperatures plays a big part in this increased hardiness, but other factors may play a part as well. We are propagating a few of the more promising of these and are always on the lookout for others. Click on highlighted links for a description and pictures at the University of California Riverside's Citrus Variety Collection or at the University of Florida's Horticultural Sciences Department. |
| Citrus Prices: The prices here are apply to most of our citrus, with a few exceptions. Grafted trees in #3 pots - $35.00 Trees on their own roots: #1 pots - $15.00 (Meyer Lemon, Harvey Lemon, Calamondin Orange) Rootstock and seedlings in citrapots or #1 nursery pots $5.00 We also have Satsuma Mandarins in #7 pot @ $55.00 and #10 pots - $65.00 |
Calamondin Orange - An ornamental citrus bearing fragrant flowers, and a small edible orange fruit, with tart flesh, and an edible skin. Unless damaged by cold, the colorful fruit will hang on the tree for 8 months. Calamondin fruit makes great citrus marmalade, and is sometimes used in ades, and garnishes. Hardy to 18° F. or less Calamondin Orange, Variegated - Same as above but with variegated leaves and fruit. Currently out. Grapefruit, Bloomsweet - (Citrus obovoidea) Also known as Kinkoji in Japan. Large yellow grapefruit-like fruit, but without the bitterness typical of grapefruit. Excellent quality. Believed to be hardy to less than 15° F. Currently out. Grapefruit, Golden - A very unique grapefruit with a sweet, juicy, golden-amber flesh. Golden Grapefruit is similar to Duncan grapefruit, because of it's high quality, and the fact that both are seedy. I find that the taste of either makes dealing with the seed worth the extra effort. Currently out. Grapefruit, Marsh - Evergreen citrus bearing large, sweet, white fleshed grapefruit, that ripen in November. Marsh Grapefruit is one of the more cold hardy grapefruit, but, like all citrus, must be protected during severe freezes, especially when young. Hardy to about 20° F. Currently out. Grapefruit, Pink - Evergreen citrus bearing large, sweet, pink fleshed grapefruit, that ripen in November. I have two clones of pink grapefruit, with budwood taken from fruiting seedlings that have survived temperatures well below 20° F. Currently out. Grapefruit, Ruby Red - Large, sweet, grapefruit with deep pink flesh. Ripens in November. Out. Grapefruit, Sanbokan (Citrus sulcata) - (Sometimes referred to as Sanbokan Lemon.) Evergreen citrus growing 10-15‘ tall. Bears yellow, tangerine like fruits, with a short neck, and a unique, sweet lemon taste. Makes an interesting, edible landscape plant where hardy. I also have one that has been doing well as a container plant. Hardy to around 15 degrees F. Currently out. Kumquat, Changshou - Small evergreen citrus bearing small sour fruit, with an edible peel. Changshou ripens in early November in zone 9. The fruit looks and tastes a lot like Calamondin, but is slightly less tart (a little sweeter), and has a somewhat more tender peel. Fruit is also ornamental, and makes great marmalade. Ripens October - November. Hardy to about 18° F. Currently out. Kumquat, Nagami - Small to medium, evergreen tree, with dark green leaves and small, oval, orange fruits, that have an edible skin and tart flesh. Fruits are very decorative and hold well on the tree. They can be eaten fresh, used in marmalade, and are sometimes pickled. Excellent container plant. Makes an interesting landscape plant where hardy. Cold hardy to 15 degrees F or below. Currently out. Kumquat, Meiwa - Tree is similar to Nagami in shape and size, but the fruits are round, and sweeter, lacking some of the tart flesh of Nagami. In my opinion Nagami is the more decorative of the two, and Meiwa better tasting, though both make attractive plants. Cold hardy to 15° F. Currently out. Lime, Key - (Citrus aurantifolia) - a.k.a. Mexican Lime, West Indian Lime, Bartender's Lime. This is the lime that is used in the famous Key Lime Pie, and to flavor drinks. Small, evergreen, tropical shrub, with many tiny thorns and dark green leaves. The fruit should need no description. This plant will take very little cold, and, in non-tropical areas should be grown in a container, so that it can be moved to a frost free area when necessary, or otherwise protected from the cold. True to it's tropical nature,it does best where there are long hot summers. Hardy to 30° F. Lime, Mexican Thornless - This is a key lime, without thorns, everything that applies to a key lime, applies here. Lime, Persian (3 gallon only) Limequat, Eustis - A cross between the Mexican, or Key lime, and Meiwa kumquat. Very lime-like in size and taste. Not quite the quality of a key lime, but makes a good lime substitute, and is much hardier. 20°F or a little less. Currently out. Lemon, Meyer - Large, tasty lemons on a small to medium tree. Thought to be a cross between a lemon and orange, Meyer lemon is larger and sweeter than the typical commercial lemon. Many lemon lovers find it better than commercial types. Can be used like a lemon, but I understand the zest is not lemon-like. Hardy to about 20° F., or slightly lower. I have one in the ground 7 or 8 years. It has been slightly damaged by cold a time or two, but bounces right back. Available in #3 and #10 sizes. Lemon, Harvey - A typical lemon in shape and taste, Harvey has been found to be much more cold hardy than commercial varieties, and is said to be as hardy as an orange. Available only in one gallon pots. Lemon, Ponderosa (3 gallon only) Lemon, Variegated Dwarf Currently out. Lemonquat, Marmaladequat - A gift from a friend, the exact parentage of this citrus is not know for sure, but the best guess seems to be kumquat x Clementine. Makes a lemon- color/size fruit that is somewhat seedy, with a taste that could be described as mildly tart lemon, with a hint of mandarin. This can be a pretty good lemon substitute, and is reported to make outstanding marmalade, thus the name Marmaladequat. I have seen reports that it is hardy to 15 degrees f., or less. This would seem to be about right, assuming the kumquat x Clementine parentage. Available in 2 and 3 gallon sizes. Mandarin, Changsha - Medium size citrus tree bearing small to medium, seedy fruit. The claim to fame for Changsha is that it is more hardy than Satsuma, which it resembles in some aspects. The fruit is very seedy, and is not the high quality you would get with Satsuma, though there are cultivars that taste pretty good considering it's ability to tolerate the cold. Makes a very attractive landscape plant, especially when in fruit. Hardy to around 12° F Mandarin, Honeybell (3 gallon only) Mandarin, Page (3 gallon only) Mandarin, Ponkan (3 gallon only) Mandarin, Satsuma - Because of it's hardiness, growth habit, and eating qualities, this is the most widely grown hardy citrus. Satsumas produce small evergreen trees, bearing high quality fruit that ripen in fall. The fruit is sweet, easily to peel, and almost seedless. A number of cultivars exist, with the primary difference being the time of year that the fruit ripens. Most ripen between October 1 - November 15. The fruit is edible before turning orange, though they are more tart at this stage. Satsumas are considered to be the best tasting cold hardy citrus by most citrus enthusiasts. Mature Satsumas can be expected to handle brief dips to about 18.. Individual trees have been known to survive dips to 15° F and below. Several varieties available including Brown's Select and Early Saint Ann. Available in #3 and #10's. Nippon Orangequat - A cross between Meiwa Kumquat and Satsuma Mandarin. Produces a large egg size fruit, which also is egg-like in shape. The interior is an intense orange color inside and has a tart orange taste. Like it's kumquat parent, the skin is edible and the leaves are slender and pointed. Good tart fruit eaten out of hand and makes an excellent marmalade and drink. Hardy to 10° f.. Available in #3 nursery pots. Orange, Washington Naval - Large, sweet fruit that ripens in November. Orange, Navel, Washington (Dwarf) (3 gallon) Same as above but of dwarfing rootstock. Orange, Navel, Dream (3 gallon only) Orange, Hamlin (Louisiana Sweet) - Early ripening orange that is considered to be one of the hardier, if not the hardiest, sweet orange. Hamlin has been around for many years, having stood the test of time. It is good eating, and an excellent juice orange, having few seeds. Hamlin stores well on the tree after ripening, unless freezing weather threatens the fruit. Hardy to 20° F, or less, in cool winter areas. Currently out. Orange, Ambersweet - Large, high-quality orange. Ambersweet is a hybrid of tangerine, grapefruit, and sweet orange It looks much like a naval orange in shape, right down to having the characteristic "naval". Hardy to 20° F or lower. Available in #10 pots only) Procimequat - (Hongkong kumquat x Eustis Limequat) This is a small tree bearing tiny, marble size fruit, that are yellow when ripe. Its dark green foliage, early and prolific bearing habit, and fruit that hangs on the tree for a long period after ripening, Produces edible fruit, but the fruit is so small, and has such large seed relative to it's size, that it should be considered and ornamental only. Procimequat makes a choice ornamental in-ground where hardy. It is also a good choice for containers, and should make a very interesting bonsai. Interestingly, procimequats will bear fruit one year from seed. There is a procimequate in the ground in Aiken, South Carolina, which is in hardiness zone 8. Hardy to 15F. We have a few in #1 nursery pots. Poncirus trifoliata (Trifoliate Orange, Hardy Orange) - Rounded, bushy, deciduous shrub, or small tree, growing to 15 feet tall. Has long sharp spines and bears a golf ball size, inedible, orange-like fruit. Trifoliate Orange was once used an impenetrable barrier to contain livestock, and, as a result, has naturalized in many areas of the Southeast. Often used as a hardy, dwarfing, rootstock for citrus, it has also used in developing hybrids, Many of which are also used as rootstock. Let no one fool you, you cannot put enough sugar on this fruit, or in its juice, to make it taste good! I have heard that goats will eat them, which, if so, gives new meaning to the idea that goats will eat anything! I am also told that hogs will eat them, but I remember, from my youth, that hogs love to fill up on acorns, which never seemed to give them the slightest belly ache. Reported to be hardy to zone 6. We normally have these available in #1 nursery pots. Poncirus trifoliata - ‘Flying Dragon’ A cultivar of Trifoliate Orange. Rounded, bushy, deciduous shrub, or small tree, growing to 6-10 feet. Flying Dragon has interesting, twisted stems, and long sharp spurs (a sort of Harry Lauder's Walkingstick of the citrus world), small white, fragrant flowers in spring, and an inedible, orange-like fruit, that ripens in fall. Sometimes used as a container plant, it looks to me like it is a good candidate for bonsai. Primarily used as a hardy, dwarfing, rootstock. We normally have these available in #1 nursery pots. Taichang Lemon - (Citrus ichangensis x C. Taiwanica) - Lemon colored fruit, that otherwise resembles a small mandarin. Useful as a lemon substitute, it makes an interesting landscape plant, with it’s colorful yellow fruit, and unique weeping, evergreen foliage. The taste is sour, but less tart, and sweeter than a regular lemon. Hardy to about 10° F, maybe less, given it's parentage. Available in #3 nursery pots. Tangelo, Orlando - A cross between Duncan grapefruit and Dancy Tangerine. The ones I know are comparatively small trees. Bears rich flavored, orange-like fruit, which ripen November - December in zone 8. Can be seedy fairly when planted with pollinators. Thought to be almost as hardy as a Satsuma mandarin. Said to need a pollinator. Hardy to about 18° F. Available in #3 nursery pots. Tangerine, Juanita - (Citrus reticulata) Sweet, tasty tangerine. Juanita tangerine was grown from a seed planted by the family of Juanita Barrineau of Barrineau, SC. The fruit and tree resemble Ponkan tangerine but has proven to be more cold hardy. IMature plants have withstood a low of 13° F. and reportedly lower. Currently out. Thomasville Hardy Orange (Citrangequat) - A hybrid citrus developed in the early 1900's. Thomasville is the best of the citrangegquats, making a very attractive landscape plant. It hold it's colorful, egg size, orange fruit over a long period, barring no fruit damaging cold. Thomasville fruit is sometimes used as a lime substitute until ripe, makes a good marmalade, and can be eaten out of hand when good and ripe (around January 1). At least one mature tree is known to have survived a low of less than 5 degrees, but young plants must be protected from severe cold until mature. Thomasville does fine on its own roots, and seedlings will begin fruiting after the 4th - 6th years, though a seedling tree will be much more thorny than a grafted one. Yuzu Lemon - Citrus Ichangensis x citrus reticulata - An upright, evergreen citrus from Japan, where it is used in cooking, and where it has become part of the Japanese culture. Bears sour, yellow, lemon-like (in taste) citrus that is similar physically to a mandarin. Has an easily peeled skin and easily separated segments. The skin is considered edible, but only as a condiment used in Japanese recipes. Lately it has become increasingly popular for flavoring foods in the USA. Though I have not tried it, it is said to make a good marmalade. This citrus is very hardy, having survive temperatures below 10° F. Yuzuquat - A hybrid between Yuzu Lemon and Nagami kumquat. Sour lemon-like fruit that is about 2/3 the size of a commercial lemon. The fruit is seedy, but has a pretty good lemon flavor, and is very hardy. It can be eaten eat out of hand, used like a lemon, and makes a delicious marmalade. Yuzuquat makes a handsome container, or landscape plant, with it's dark green foliage and showy yellow fruit. Hardy to about 10° F |
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| Calamondin Orange |